Only 2 Blue eggs since Sept 14?

Stepnout

Crowing
6 Years
May 6, 2018
672
1,636
287
New Brunswick, Canada
FA9B4BA0-70FC-4662-9613-15EFEA597D18.jpeg 1510E250-6152-4E04-8D7F-6A68FBA80797.jpeg Well my EE Puff laid her first blue egg on Sept 14 since then she has only laid one other. I have found 5 shell less eggs in the droppings tray. I did see Puff in the run with an egg sack I thought it came from another bird. Yesterday I found a shell less egg from the night before and Puff goes in the shared nest box (Eglu cube)with another hen. They both stay in for almost an hour. All the other hens go into the nest box and have a visit. Everyone leaves Puff comes out loudly singing the egg song, 5 seconds later the other hen Lady Bug starts singing and comes out. Puff has no egg but Lady Bug does. Puff goes to the nest box every day. She is healthy in every way just not producing the egg shells. I know it is early but seems to be going on a little longer than I thought. The feed is fresh 17 percent layer, oyster shells on the side, grit and sand to eat, fresh water every day and I move the coop to new fresh gras every 2 days. Hear is her picture. She is the EE on the left
 
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I have found 5 shell less eggs in the droppings tray.
So you're pretty sure the shelless eggs are Puffs?
Some birds are just not great layers... may have faulty equipment(both shelling gland and nutrition uptake), may be 'nervous'(how many bird in that eglu?), or could just be the vagaries of a new layer. It can take up to a month for things to be sorted out....plus it's late in the year, even pullets are affected by the shortening days.

I had an EE hen in a nest this morning when I went out to open doors and clean, she sat there for another 20 minutes, 2 more birds came into other nests....the EE came out singing loudly, no egg.<shrugs> It happens.
 
13BC7856-8C03-4695-B396-C0F21AA4FBB9.jpeg B1F0D3A4-9043-4E25-AA13-6A25E0619B04.jpeg Well she was in the box for almost an hour this morning the brown layer went in and the other 4 took turns saying hello. Today she may have done it right I saymay because the egg was between the 2 nests were all the other birds take turns standing. Fingers crossed.
@aart
To answer your question I’m not 100% as I have never been there when the green egg layer left the nest.i assume it’s Spiderman the Cochin cross. Her age and redness of comb, face and the fact she was in the nest box practicing leads me to believe she is the green egg layer. Puff did not redden up until later and then on the 14th blue egg showed up and Puff’s comb and wattle exploded in colour and her comb doubled in size in just one week.
I’m posting a picture the top green egg is from 2 days ago the bottom grey green, the brown and blue are from today. Might get a green later.
 
Forgot to add I’m thinking I may have been disturbing the birds as I have been leaving for work at 4:30 been working 13 hour days. I had a flat tire on my moveable pen so I may have disturbed the girls while changing the wheel in the dark. I replaced the wheels/tires with no flats. So I may be causing some of these soft shell eggs. I have changed my approach I have been letting the birds free range before dusk and moving the pen. I always moved the Cube with the birds in it so again I may have caused this issue. My lovely wife has been letting the birds out in the morning at a better time.
I also HAD A VERY LARGE GREY SQUIRREL that the chickens were alarming to. He left and won’t be back!
Hopefully these changes are for the better.
 
If they get used to being moved in the coop, it shouldn't be stressful.
Just 'learning to lay' can be stressful.
5 birds in an eglu might get crowded, that can be stressful too.
 

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